


Notes for Professor Alkabetz' Universal Encyclopedia of Baseball (Tenth Edition), by Bjorn Percora

by primeideal



Category: Field of Dreams (1989), Summerland - Michael Chabon, The Natural (1984)
Genre: Baseball, Gen, Interviews, Multiple Crossovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 05:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/876071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/primeideal/pseuds/primeideal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They knew 'em all, from New York to Dubuque. Especially KK, Roy Hobbs, and the shadowtail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dubuque, 1999

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kristin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristin/gifts).



> I was so pleased to see that someone had requested this fandom that I thought I'd write for it eventually! And I love the idea of crossing over small baseball fandoms (there are lots of others out there, so if you or anyone else reading this can think of any that I might also know, there may be a sequel).

They call the pitcher KK, as much a scorekeeping abbreviation as it is a nomenclature one. Strikeout, strikeout. Maybe a popup back to the pitcher for some novelty— _KK won_! Or the second baseman will get a chance to make the catch. _KK for_ the win!

It's the second _baseman_ , I stress. He's a brilliant player in his own right, and if I wasn't here to talk to KK I'd happily pencil him in for another interview. Perhaps I'll come back to visit him, come to think of it. It isn't like I'm short on time.

You see, we know—or we will know—that certain stadiums are more favorable to pitchers than batters, and vice versa. We can adjust our statistics for these park effects, and take other nuances into consideration. They'll call it sabermetrics. But what's going on in your heart matters far more. Subermetrics, you know.

So I think I will come back, to talk to the second baseman, and try and figure out how KK's presence on this team has changed him. He is the second baseman, and he is a man, just like almost every player in this state tournament.

But not the pitcher. Short hair sweating under the hat, she sits down with me to talk about her career so far. On one condition—that I don't make mention of the whole gender thing.

I don't mind. There are people enough to do that. And I know something they don't know.

BP: KK, congratulations on another great win.  
KK: Thanks so much!  
BP: I wanted to ask you about the batting helmet you wear in the field, sometimes. I see a lot of your teammates have caught on, are you the trendsetter?  
KK: Yes. Well, no. Well, it happened by accident—in middle school one of my teammates was hit in the chest by a comebacker to the mound. Roughed him up a little, but my mom couldn't help thinking what if that had been his head, you know. And so she sort of nagged me about hey, maybe you could wear one in the field.  
BP: And you took her advice.  
KK: Eventually. It's—mostly thinking about how much I've already been through, it'd be a bad way to repay everyone who's—helped me get this far, if I were just floored by some idiot's liner.  
BP: Can you talk about the people who got you here?  
KK: Well, when I say that, I mean—a friend of my dad's helped me out, when I was just a little kid and not really into baseball. You could say—it wasn't exactly a save situation—but he sacrificed—well I'm mixing my metaphors now. Don't print this.  
BP: Oh I'm not with the paper, this is for a book.  
KK: Really? Why?  
BP: Why am I helping with a book? Oh, I suppose to prove to my family that I'm not just a dumb jock—I was the sort of athlete, growing up, always afraid they'd want to trade me for a player to be named later. Preferably one that knew how to write.  
KK: Did you ever think about playing more?  
BP: Not particularly, though we have an office team on occasion—but hey, who's interviewing who, here?  
KK: Sorry. Just, thinking about my dad's friend—he'd been a ballplayer, briefly, before changing careers. I was just wondering whether you regretted it.  
BP: Personally, no. But I get to see a lot of different games, I couldn't have a better job.  
KK: Well, thanks.  
BP: Speaking of your dad, I take it he was influential, too?  
KK: Oh sure, my whole family, really, in their way. Mom, Grandpa, everybody. And of course my coaches.  
BP: How've they helped you?  
KK: They've been great, honestly. They're mostly lucky the softball team never really got around to stealing me, but when you think about, we're not a big school, kids are coming from all over, some of them have to go back and help on the farm, throwing in the extra hours of practice—the softball team never really got competitive. It's a lot of luck for even the baseball team to come as far as we have.  
BP: Luck and skill, I should think.  
KK: Thanks.  
BP: Are you hoping to stay in baseball?  
KK: Oh as long as I can. I'm sure there'll be all sorts of logistical problems to work out, but let's deal with them one game at a time.  
BP: Point taken. How's the tournament been so far?  
KK: It's been awesome! Everyone is really geared up to win, all the teams—you know, people ask “is anyone so messed up they'd rather forfeit than play you.” No, not here. Private schools, public schools, everybody. You've come so far, you might as well give it all you've got. And I know I'm doing that.  
BP: Any downsides?  
KK: Oh, you know, just when my pitch count gets too high and I have to sit out.  
BP: Spoken like a true competitor.  
KK: I try.  
BP: Karin Kinsella, a pleasure to meet you. Best of luck in the rest of the tournament!  
KK: Thanks.

  



	2. New York, 1939

Dear Professor Alkabetz: I tried very hard to remedy the discrepancies you informed me about. However, our interview subject was completely stymied and I can only speculate as to what has gone wrong. My ventured guesses are attached after the interview with Mr. Hobbs, which you may prefer to read without preexisting biases.

BP: Mr. Hobbs, thank you so much for your time.  
RH: Of course! You're here about the bat?  
BP: ...Come again?  
RH: You'd like to hear about the bats. They're the secret to our success, after all! Do have a look at this jersey, too.  
BP: What a piece of history! To think about everything the Knights went through this year...  
RH: Yes...  
BP: The tragic death of one of your teammates...  
RH: Yes...  
BP: And, what's this?  
RH: A special commemorative patch, on the jersey...  
BP: Commemorating...  
RH: The _bat_.  
BP: ...Right. Um, wasn't it the case that, uh, your original bat broke?  
RH: Wonderboy, yes.  
BP: So then—what happened?  
RH: Well, I replaced it, obviously! The Savoy Special! Helped the batboy make it, you know. That's the nature of the game, you really ought to help the next generation make their own bats!  
BP: You had to use a replacement bat. And then what happened?  
RH: Do you follow baseball at all?  
BP: Yes, but I've been all over the place. Refresh my memory.  
RH: Well, I hit a home run, obviously, and we won the game!  
BP: The—which game?  
RH: The game against the Pirates, of course, to win the pennant!  
BP: I have the box score from the last game, right here.  
RH: Then you should know.  
BP: I don't see any such thing. Youngberry struck you out, and you lost the pennant...?  
RH: That's impossible, of course we won the pennant!  
BP: You seem very proud—  
RH: Well, it was a hard-fought season, I should think I have the right to be!  
BP: Yes. Er. I'm sorry, I just had not been informed...  
RH: Look, I don't mean to be rude, I'm ready to leave the big city. Move out with my—my family. So maybe, you can leave us be until you've figured out who won the National League.  
BP: I understand. Sorry for the inconvenience.  
RH: And if you want a word of advice? It's all about the bat. Find some prospect who's got a nice bat of his very own, to write about, something unique. And then follow him.  
BP: I'll see what I can do.

As you can see, Professor Alkabetz, there are two attached box scores, neither of which have much to do with each other (and neither of which seem particularly consistent with the rest of the Middling records for this era, none of which refer to a “Knights” team in New York).

I can only assume that, as is sometimes the case (see the Rodrigo Buendía files), a time-traveller has saved this narrative from the traps of despair and given it a more suitable conclusion. I recognize that this may not appear to be the most parsimonious explanation, but I think there is precedent. (Remember the 1941 World Series game whose winner changed after the final strike of the last strikeout was recorded? Or what about S. Perceval, the shortstop from the Winterlands who brought back so much grass from his away games that his otherwise-wasted home field flourished once again? I think we've got something similar going on.) Next time I'm passing through this decade, I'm going to try and interview this so-called “bat boy” and really get to the bottom of this. Until then, best of luck reconciling these for the encyclopedia.

  



	3. Port St. Lucie, 2014

I'm here at spring training, interviewing J.T. Rideout, the prospect who's been wowing fans across the Grapefruit League.

BP: You hit well for a—  
JTR: Go on, say it. I dare you.  
BP: For a pitcher.  
JTR: Well, it's true! We were all the best hitters on our high school teams, give or take. I'm not going up there just to be an automatic out, now.  
BP: Some would say that it's time for the NL to adopt the DH.  
JTR: They say that every year, and here we are.  
BP: Touche. Well, that begs the question, what level are you expecting to start at, next year?  
JTR: The majors, of course. Have to dream big. But if it comes to that, the 51s wouldn't be so bad.  
BP: Get lots of alien fans, out that way? For the Worlds' Series?  
JTR: Yeah, yeah. Good one. Never heard that before.  
BP: Sorry. If I may ask, who were your inspirations growing up?  
JTR: I know you're expecting me to say Karin Kinsella—first woman in the big leagues, pitcher, blah blah blah. But she didn't make the majors until—oh two, right?  
BP: Yeah.  
JTR: And by then, it'll sound funny—but I'd been through so much, that even a woman in the majors didn't seem all that remarkable. It was just, “oh, yeah, another thing.”  
BP: What kind of things were more unusual than women in the major leagues?  
JTR: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.  
BP: Try me.  
JTR: I'd better not.  
BP: Not even for Alkabetz' book?  
JTR: ...Oh. You're writing for _that_ professor.  
BP: Of course. It was, er, a couple friends of mine who pointed you towards me.  
JTR: You're in touch with Ethan, I assume?  
BP: He's going to be in the “dramatic walk-off home runs chapter;” we have a couple pages on “home runs hit with special bats.”  
JTR: It wasn't a walk-off, technically, we were the away team—  
BP: Okay, the “dramatic game-ending home runs chapter.” It'll get a footnote, like the grand slams that turn into singles.  
JTR: Much better. But you know, he's a special person, beyond the bat.  
BP: And, actually, I met Chiron Brown, a couple times. Trying to apply some more advanced statistics to the Negro Leagues—Alkabetz has enough researchers on staff to look up some of those box scores.  
JTR: That's wonderful. What kind of statistics?  
BP: All kinds. On-base plus slugging. ERA adjusted for park, for travel, for contract-jumping. Value over replacement barnstomer. Hustle probability added.  
JTR: I'm not familiar with all of those.  
BP: They all blend into each other, after a while, the numbers and the stories.  
JTR: Well, give him my best.  
BP: Of course, and he sends his regards. But I should ask you, you know the rules are pretty stringent these days, you wouldn't want any cheating. How do drug tests work?  
JTR: Same for women as for men. Baseball's a democratic playing field, you know? Pee into a cup and hand it over.  
BP: And would you say the new policies have been effective in reducing cheating?  
JTR: Yes.  
BP: That's good. If I may ask a somewhat delicate question—  
JTR: I think I can take it.  
BP: Do you think you derive any unfair advantages from, er—  
JTR: People being chivalric and not wanting to hurt me? Of course not, it's been years since Kinsella broke in, people are competitive.  
BP: —being a shadowtail.  
JTR: Oh. Yeah. Well, I certainly would, if I was the first. But I'm not. Whether you call it—Eli Drinkwater's wormholes, or Billy Martinez from the Kansas City Monarchs, and his drunken sliders, or Mary Charleston from the Kenosha Comets and her pesky-pickles—there've been people going between the worlds for years, haven't there?  
BP: Who told you about all them?  
JTR: Nobody in so many words. But you can look it up.  
BP: I've made a career of that. How long have you known?  
JTR: It was around high school, when I decided—trailblazers are great, whether it's Robinson or Kinsella or whoever, but I'm not going to be the first one and make it an unfair advantage. So I asked around, and sure enough—yeah, there's precedent.  
BP: What about all the tricksters out there, not playing by the rules?  
JTR: They can do their thing, but I don't need to stoop to their level.  
BP: That's good to hear. Any goals for this season, beyond making the majors?  
JTR: As far as on the mound goes, no, I do what it takes to help the team win. Whether that's racking up any individual statistics, most of those are flawed, so as long as we're having a successful year that's all that matters. Selfishly, as you know, I hate the DH, I like the feel of a bat in my hands. So, I want to hit above the Mendoza line.  
BP: You're going to hit .200, as a pitcher?  
JTR: If possible, I'm going to go one step further and overshoot Mario Mendoza's _career_ batting average.  
BP: That would require you to hit .216.  
JTR: I'm up to the challenge.  
BP: Well, thank you very much for your time. Give my best to Ethan.  
JTR: You're welcome! I will do so, and you say hi to the others. Chiron and—anyone else?  
BP: Thor Wignutt.  
JTR: You've met?  
BP: Yeah. We go—way back.  
JTR: Oh. _Oh_. You're...  
BP: Yes.  
JTR: Well! It's nice to meet you, at last.  
BP: You too. I'll see you in the big leagues.  
JTR: Is that a time-traveller talking?  
BP: This time, no. Just a fan who can hope for the best.  
JTR: In that case, thanks, and I hope to see you there!

  



End file.
